By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Despite our current perilous times, Americans still have boundless reasons for giving thanks. True, our economy continues to falter, we face yet another national credit downgrade, and families suffer with high unemployment. The nation teeters precariously between free-market capitalism and European-style socialism. But fortunately, we have guidance from those brave Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower who, nearly four centuries ago, faced a choice similar to ours.
Thanksgiving time is here again. This is a reprise of a 2008 column I did about the origins of this national holiday based on "The Light and the Glory," written by Peter J. Marshall and David Manuel.
Any reader looking for the straightforward Pilgrim story is probably forewarned by the opaque title of this long book, but anyone looking for adventure in English and American history will relish this fresh account by Nick Bunker, a former banker and journalist for the Financial Times.
The strong, young men of their commune, he noted, should have been their most productive members, but they resented being assigned extra work that benefited another man's family, so they refused.
But, as Bradford added, landing in a desolate wilderness meant there were "no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies, no houses, or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor."
WETZSTEIN: Remembering 'The Light and the Glory' of first Thanksgiving →
